Climateby Month

Taos, NM climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 6,969 ft elevation

Summers in Taos are warm; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 83°F in July and fall to 37°F in January. The wettest month is August (about 10 wet days) and the driest is June (about 4). Normal snowfall is about 62 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is May.

Warmest month
83°F
July normal high
Coldest month
8°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
64
13.4 in of precipitation
Snow a year
61.5 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Taos?

Normal highs range from 37°F in January to 83°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 37°F (3°C), low 8°F (-13°C) 37° 8° February: normal high 42°F (6°C), low 14°F (-10°C) March: normal high 53°F (12°C), low 21°F (-6°C) April: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 27°F (-3°C) May: normal high 70°F (21°C), low 35°F (2°C) June: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 44°F (7°C) July: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 49°F (9°C) 83° 49° August: normal high 81°F (27°C), low 48°F (9°C) September: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 41°F (5°C) October: normal high 65°F (18°C), low 30°F (-1°C) November: normal high 51°F (11°C), low 19°F (-7°C) December: normal high 38°F (3°C), low 9°F (-13°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Taos?

August has the most wet days (about 10); the year brings about 13 in of precipitation.

January: 4 wet days February: 4 wet days March: 4 wet days April: 5 wet days May: 5 wet days June: 4 wet days 4 July: 9 wet days August: 10 wet days 10 September: 6 wet days October: 4 wet days November: 4 wet days December: 5 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 61.5 in a year, most of it in December.

January: 12.7 in of snow February: 11.7 in of snow March: 8.0 in of snow April: 4.3 in of snow May: 0.7 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 3.4 in of snow November: 6.8 in of snow December: 13.9 in of snow 13.9 JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Taos?

Muggy days (dew point 65°F or higher) are rare in any month.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 0 muggy days July: 0 muggy days August: 0 muggy days September: 0 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Las Vegas Municipal Arpt, 57 mi SSE of the city center (the nearest airport with complete hourly records).

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.6 hours in June.

January: 10.0 hours of daylight February: 10.9 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.1 hours of daylight May: 14.1 hours of daylight June: 14.6 hours of daylight 14.6 July: 14.4 hours of daylight August: 13.5 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.3 hours of daylight November: 10.2 hours of daylight December: 9.7 hours of daylight 9.7 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Taos, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 37°F8°F 0.7 in4 12.7 in 0 10.0 h
February 42°F14°F 0.7 in4 11.7 in 0 10.9 h
March 53°F21°F 0.9 in4 8.0 in 0 12.0 h
April 62°F27°F 1.0 in5 4.3 in 0 13.1 h
May 70°F35°F 1.1 in5 0.7 in 0 14.1 h
June 80°F44°F 0.7 in4 0.0 in 0 14.6 h
July 83°F49°F 1.7 in9 0.0 in 0 14.4 h
August 81°F48°F 2.3 in10 0.0 in 0 13.5 h
September 75°F41°F 1.7 in6 0.0 in 0 12.4 h
October 65°F30°F 1.0 in4 3.4 in 0 11.3 h
November 51°F19°F 0.8 in4 6.8 in 0 10.2 h
December 38°F9°F 0.9 in5 13.9 in 0 9.7 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Taos

By our comfort score, the best month is May.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 320321
Feb 390313
Mar 53433
Apr 721531
May 842330
Jul 61763
Aug 681471
Sep 782250
Nov 46335
Dec 330318

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Taos

The last spring frost typically comes around May 19, and the first fall frost around Oct 3, leaving 136 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Taos
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)May 19after May 31
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 3before Sep 23
Last hard freeze (28°F)May 7after May 20
First hard freeze (28°F)Oct 10before Sep 29
Frost-free season136 daysunder 119 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Taos (USC00298668), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in New Mexico.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 97°F (July 22, 2018); the lowest was -25°F (January 4, 2013).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Taos

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall and snow depth: Cerro (USC00291630), 23 mi N of the city center, 7,650 ft (681 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Frost dates: Taos (USC00298668), 1.4 mi SSW of the city center, 6,965 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Las Vegas Municipal Arpt (723677-23054), 57 mi SSE of the city center, 6,870 ft (99 ft lower than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error